What to do with the empty Affinity hospital buildings?

Thursday

The city of Massillon is facing the tough task of deciding whether to demolish the former Affinity Medical Center campus or repurpose the structures.

MASSILLON The city is facing a tough reality: A new hospital likely will never come to the former Affinity Medical Center campus.

Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry is encouraging residents to "grieve and move on" from the notion that an outside company will make a multimillion dollar investment to reopen the facility at 875 Eighth St. NE as a full-functioning medical center.

"Our options are to repurpose or demolish," she said this week. "But it won't sit there empty like a Doctors Hospital," a Perry Township building which has been empty since 2008.

The Affinity hospital building could be a viable option as a nursing home, veterans administration office or medical rehabilitation center, Catazaro-Perry suggested. However, she cautioned, city officials have to be realistic, noting razing the former Affinity buildings also is a possibility.

"Everything is on the table. Maybe someone will take part of it," said the mayor, who would like to see someone pursue a worthwhile use for the city-owned buildings. "But right now, we've got a lot of work to do with our current deal."

Earlier this week, Aultman Hospital officials presented a proposal to Massillon City Council to replace a slate of medical services formerly delivered by Affinity. Under the plan, $2.06 million would be paid to Massillon to help cover expenses incurred at Affinity since the city's acquisition in mid-May. Some money could be used to repurpose, redevelop or demolish the buildings.

If council approves the Aultman deal, the city should be motivated to find a taker for the Affinity buildings and related property, said Councilman Ed Lewis IV, R-at large.

"Phase 2 is to work to put that property to good use," he said.

Aultman is moving ahead with an $8 million expansion project to bring a 10-bed emergency room, heart and stroke center and image and laboratory service to Aultman West in 2019, even if the city decides not to accept the company's financial offer. The facility is to be renamed Aultman Massillon next spring.

The $2.06 million offer to the city from Aultman is an incentive to restrict an emergency room and urgent care center from opening at the Affinity property for five years.

Catazaro-Perry called it a "long shot" for another group previously interested in operating Affinity to resurface and make a last-minute pitch for the hospital.

"Only if it's a huge surprise," she said. "I think we're with the right group (Aultman)."

Affinity equipment

Catazaro-Perry said she and others in her administration are slated to meet next week with Aultman officials to walk through Affinity and compile a list of medical equipment the hospital is interested in purchasing at market value. She is not certain on what pieces might go or remain inside the building.

Ed Roth, chief executive officer of the Aultman Health Foundation, had said earlier this week that the group hopes to purchase some unspecified equipment from Affinity, and that deal would be separate from the existing proposal under consideration by City Council.

Of all the groups the city has met with — at least a half dozen — Catazaro-Perry said that Aultman had spent the most time evaluating Affinity to see if a reopening was worthwhile. The company decided against the idea due mainly to cost, which was estimated at between $6 million and $8 million to get going in the first year.

Also next week, Catazaro-Perry said, city officials will begin discussing a timetable for decommissioning the Affinity buildings — phase out remaining maintenance employees, reduce expenses such as heat and lighting — if council decides the buildings should be taken fully out of service.

"We have to have a plan and have something ready to go," she said.

Lease relief

An attractive item in the Aultman offer is that the company has agreed to take a pricey, rental property off the city's hands — a nearly $33,000 monthly rental for an office building at 4455 Dressler Road NW in Jackson Township.

Removing an approximately $396,000 annual sum from the city's books is a good savings, the mayor said, as the lease runs through 2026. Aultman already occupies the second floor of the building and would take over the entire facility.

Lewis called the building lease portion of the Aultman offer a major factor that the city shouldn't take lightly.

"That's a lot of money (expense) that Aultman is taking off our hands," he said.

Reach Steven at 330-775-1134 or at steven.grazier@indeonline.com.On Twitter: @sgrazierINDE

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